Houtman Abrolhos Islands Destination Abrolhos … while the Batavia and Zeewijk are the most well-known, there are thought to be many more lying undiscovered were enthralled by stories of the Batavia – mutiny, lost treasure and particularly seeing the skeleton exhumed from Beacon Island, complete with a grizzly axe wound to the skull! A perfect weekend loomed in March – the weather was set to be calm for the following five days – so I sprang into action, getting everything packed for an evening tow to Geraldton. There are shacks on the Abrolhos owned by lobster fisherman who work there, but unless you have written consent to stay, all visitors must sleep on their own vessel and be fully self-sufficient. SAFETY FIRST well-known, there are thought to be many more LeisureCat that we had a suitable vessel to Safety is paramount, particularly when attempting Western Australia’s Houtman Abrolhos lying undiscovered. attempt the voyage, which, in our case, was more offshore trips. We took every extra piece of safety In addition to their colourful past, the than a 400km round trip. equipment we owned – a satellite phone, a spare Islands are rich in history and wildlife. Abrolhos Islands display a remarkable assortment EPIRB, a well-equipped first aid kit plus a new Yagi of sea life, flora and fauna, with over two million WAITING FOR WEATHER antenna to provide mobile phone coverage. hipwreck, mutiny, murder and survival add to birds breeding on the islands. Tropical and Following some marine chart preparation, I filled the esky with ice, packed pre-made Sthe mystique of the 122 remote and rugged temperate oceans meet along the 100km spread our only problem was waiting for the perfect frozen meals and filled every available storage islands of the Houtman Abrolhos, often referred of islands, treating anglers to a variety fish from weekend, with very little wind and swell; a rare space in the boat with food, a small barbecue, Left: Stunning Turtle Bay. to informally as the Abrolhos Islands, located off pink snapper to coral trout and big pelagic species. occurrence at the Abrolhos. some pots and eating utensils, snorkelling gear, Above: This skeleton exhumed Geraldton on Western Australia’s mid-west coast. Famous for its superb diving, fishing, Our three boys, Austin (eight years old), fishing gear, inflatable body boards, cameras and from Beacon Island has a fatal axe wound to the skull; Rich in history and sunken treasure, 20 snorkelling, windsurfing and surfing, the Abrolhos Cooper (5) and Bailey (3), were as excited as we plenty of extra fresh water. a reminder of the atrocities shipwrecks have been found in Abrolhos waters is a destination we always wanted to visit. It were about our big adventure. They had visited Having towed the LeisureCat the last 100km that occurred during Jeronimus Cornelisz’ bloodthirsty mutiny By Emma George and, while the Batavia and Zeewijk are the most was only when we purchased our seven-metre the shipwreck museum in Perth several times and of the drive on Saturday morning, we were in 1629. 108 109 greeted by the most spectacular view – the Indian explorers, ready to discover a shipwreck for the Ocean was like a lake. We couldn’t have wished first time. for a better weekend. We filled the boat with fuel Our destination was the northern Wallabi and launched at the main Geraldton boat ramp. Group of islands, around 50nm (90km) from We have done plenty of adventurous four- Geraldton. I was hoping the swell would be minimal wheel drive trips and remote camping, but this so Austin and I could snorkel the Batavia wreck. was easily the biggest trip we had attempted in My husband, Ashley was keen to catch our boat. Totally self-sufficient, we felt like early some good sports fish, while Cooper was rather intrigued by the story of the Batavia mutiny and wanted to visit Long Island where the ‘baddies’ Geralton were hung. We were all hopeful of finding the Houtman Webbe-Hayes Forts, the oldest European-made Abrolhos structures in Australia, now 385 years old. North Island Travelling at 23 knots, we were making comfortable progress to the Wallabi Islands. Wallabi Group Perth Undistracted by flocks of birds feeding on bait East Wallabi pushed up by tuna and other pelagic species, we Island focused on our initial goal – to find Batavia. We Beacon motored past big fish sounding on our Garmin Island West and after almost two hours of travelling, land Wallabi The wreck Island of the Batavia appeared in the distance. Easter BATAVIA AHOY! Group As we approached Morning Reef, the shipwreck Leo Island icon appeared on the sounder and we scouted Rat Island Suomi for the sand patch, easily spotting a bright blue Island break in the reef. The planets had aligned – it was calm. Ashley dropped me off in three metres of Pelsaert water, then took the boat out deeper to avoid the Group dangerous reef ahead. I was greeted by a massive coral trout, schools Top: Abrolhos Islands (courtesy INDIAN OCEAN of Tourism Western Australia) of buffalo bream and huge King George whiting Pelsaert Above: Shacks are situated Island as I hunted for remains of the wreck. As I swam on 22 of the islands, with further toward the reef I saw an anchor, then a the main export being the profitable western rock lobster. cannon and yet another anchor. It was incredible. 110 shaped coral and bommies, 12m below the boat. We could see fish following our soft plastics and the kids delighted in watching trout, emperor, cod and baldchin grouper take their lures. With a wealth of fishing options, we headed for the deeper water and reef breaks for a bit of pelagic action. It didn’t take long for our deep diving lures to cause a stir, producing a good-sized Spanish mackerel. But dinner was on the agenda so we changed direction again, this time targeting bottom- dwellers. Within minutes of dropping my bait, I hooked a lovely West Australian dhufish, my favourite eating fish. The crystal clear water was so inviting, it was time to pack away the rods and As I swam further toward the reef explore some of the closer reefs. The water was so astonishingly calm and clear I saw an anchor, then a cannon and yet and the fish were indifferent to our presence. another anchor. It was incredible Coral trout poked their heads out to greet us and the kids swam over a two-to-three-metre shovel nosed shark, sleeping soundly beneath them. There I was in just two metres of water, looking We bobbed our heads under plate coral to The water was so astonishingly calm and clear at history, which has been in a watery grave for see a large grouper, tropical fish swam past and and the fish were indifferent to our presence almost 400 years. stag horn coral and plate coral surrounded us, I yelled to everyone that we had found it and with about 30m of visibility in all directions. Austin quickly donned his fins and mask to join me, It was a delight to be in this underwater full of adrenaline. He held my hand and squealed wonderland, so spectacularly beautiful. As the with excitement as the cannons and anchors came sun approached the horizon, we stopped off for a into sight. This was a great experience shared with quick exploration at Long Island, before mooring my eight-year-old, who was courageous enough to in Turtle Bay for our last night. jump into an unknown ocean, with breaking waves behind us, to discover history. FORTIFICATIONS After so much hype and anticipation, this With no clear boat passage, it was difficult to experience surpassed all our expectations. know which way to access the forts on West Tired after hours in the boat, it was time to hit Wallabi Island. the beach so we made our way to East Wallabi I stood on the front of the boat, scouting Island and the squeaky white sands of spectacular coral bommies as we tried to find access from Tur tle Bay. the eastern side. Fortunately, the presence of a had arrived in exactly the right location. Above: One of the many There was only one other boat on a mooring sightseeing plane doing circuits around the island The boys ran ahead on the scrubby tracks, anchors of the Batavia found buoy, so we had the island to ourselves and the was a great clue as to the location of the forts. scaring the small wallabies in their haste to find near Morning Reef is still in good condition despite being kids ran along the beach searching for shells. We tracked further north with the water only the forts. We could hear excited yelling ahead; in the water for almost 400 Lizards scurried along the tracks and a majestic 70cm deep and decided to drop anchor around they had discovered a fort perched on the high years. white-bellied sea eagle lurched into full flight as the 300m from shore and wade in. point of the island. Top right: The white-bellied sea eagle is one of millions of boys approached its perch on the viewing platform. I dragged the older boys on their inflatable Small enough to shelter 10 or so men, the birds which live on or visit the I was pleasantly surprised to find a sun shelter, sleeping on the boat was cosy and cheerful and boards and Bailey rode on Ashley’s shoulders as hand-built structure has survived intact for over Abrolhos Islands every year. Above: Austin proudly shows marked walking trails and numerous signs outlining we were so excited about our day’s activities, we we headed for land.